I turned over; a metal bracket dug into my thigh.
Not like I was going to do anything about it now. Still, it was good to have dreams. Maybe at the next bake-off, I would carefully make a creamy pot of caramel. Then, when he wasn’t looking, I’d throw it all over him. Then he would take off his shirt again, and I’d cover him in more caramel, then I’d lick it all up…
No, I berated myself.No, no, no. Not happening.
But now, all I could think about was Matt shirtless.
You’re tired and cold. Tomorrow will be a better day.
My phone chimed.
Mom:I wanted to remind you that your father and that woman are having their Christmas party tomorrow.
Mom:I know Bettina is making you go.
Mom:You need to spy on your dad for me and give me all the dirt.
Mom:I’m counting on you!!!!!
“Guess tomorrow’s going to be even shittier than today.”
19
Matt
Merrie hadn’t come back to the shop last night, or at least not during the hour I had waited outside.
What does it matter?
The situation was stupid. Had been stupid. I had a big meeting the next morning, and instead of preparing for it, I had stood outside in the cold waiting for her to return.
You just wanted to see her tits.
“No, I didn’t.”
“I thought you said you did.” Eli gave me a questioning look.
I wracked my brain trying to recall what was being discussed at the meeting.
Greg made an annoyed sound. “And you want us to give you additional money.”
“He had a hard day yesterday,” Eli said.
“That was an atrocious loss,” Greg said. “I did win money, though.”
“You bet against Matt?” Eli asked.
Greg was smug. “His brothers put money on him. I knew he wasn’t going to be able to bake anything. However, I didn’t expect him to get trounced so hard. It was embarrassing.” He gestured to the slides on the large screen at the front of the conference room.
“Did you or did you not receive the prototype for the new robot you designed?”
“I did,” I said. “It’s out at one of the vertical farms running through the test programs I set up.”
“See,” Eli told Greg, “We have it together. We just need a little more funding, and we’ll—”
“Woof!Woof! Woof!”
I forced myself not to look out of the glass wall of the conference room where Kringle lumbered down the hall, his barks echoing off the polished concrete floor.
